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Passive Smoking (Second-hand
Smoke) Increases Risk of Severe Dementia
An international study by scientists at King's College
London and Anhui Medical University, China, along with colleagues in the UK and USA has found a link between
passive smoking and syndromes of dementia.
The study of nearly 6,000 people in five provinces in China reveals
that people exposed to passive smoking have a significantly increased risk of
severe dementia syndromes.
Passive smoking, also known as 'second-hand' smoke or
environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is known to cause serious cardiovascular and
respiratory diseases, including coronary heart disease and lung cancer.
However, until now it has been uncertain whether ETS increases the risk of
dementia, mainly due to lack of research. Previous studies have shown an
association between ETS and cognitive impairment, but this is the first to find
a significant link with dementia syndromes.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 80
percent of the more than one billion smokers worldwide live in low- and
middle-income countries, where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death
is heaviest; but only 11 percent of the world's population are protected by
comprehensive smoke-free laws.
China
is the largest consumer of tobacco in the world, with 350 million smokers.
Since 2006, the Chinese government has actively promoted the introduction of
smoke-free environments in hospitals, schools, on public transport and in other
public places, but implementation has not been widespread.
Recent data show that the prevalence of passive smoking is still
high, with over 50 percent of people exposed to environmental tobacco smoke on
a daily basis. China
also has the highest number of dementia sufferers in the world, with increasing
rates of new cases as the population ages.
Dr Ruoling Chen, senior lecturer in public health from
King's College London, and colleagues interviewed 5,921 people aged over 60 in
the rural and urban communities of Anhui, Guangdong, Heilongjiang,
Shanghai and Shanxi to characterise their levels of ETS
exposure, smoking habits and assess levels of dementia syndromes.
They found that 10 percent of the group had severe dementia
syndromes. This was significantly related to exposure level and duration of
passive smoking. The associations with severe syndromes were found in people
who had never smoked and in former and current smokers.
The data from the Anhui
cohort, which were collected at baseline in 2001-03 for dementia syndromes and
in the follow up in 2007-08 for ETS exposure and dementia, further excluded the
possibility that dementia syndromes caused people to be more exposed to
environmental tobacco smoke.
Dr Ruoling Chen, also a visiting professor at Anhui Medical
University said: 'Passive smoking
should be considered an important risk factor for severe dementia syndromes, as
this study in China
shows. Avoiding exposure to ETS may reduce the risk of severe dementia
syndromes.
'China,
along with many other countries, now has a significantly aging population, so
dementia has a significant impact not only on the patients but on their
families and carers. It's a huge burden on society.'
The findings from this study, together with a second recent
study by Chen and colleagues published in Alzheimer's & Dementia on the
links between passive smoking and Alzheimer's disease, strengthen the case for
public health measures to protect people from exposure to environmental tobacco
smoke.
'At present, we know that about 90 percent of the world's
population live in countries without smoke-free public areas. More campaigns
against tobacco exposure in the general population will help decrease the risk
of severe dementia syndromes and reduce the dementia epidemic worldwide.'
He added: 'The increased risk of severe dementia syndromes
in those exposed to passive smoking is similar to increased risk of coronary
heart disease -- suggesting that urgent preventive measures should be taken,
not just in China but many other countries.'
###
Story Source:
The above story is based on the
January 9, 2013 news release by King's College London.
The study has been published in Occupational and
Environmental Medicine: Chen R, Wilson K, Chen Y, Zhang D, Qin X, He M, Hu Z,
Ma Y, Copeland JR. Association between environmental tobacco smoke
exposure and dementia syndromes. Occup
Environ Med. 2013 Jan;70(1):63-9.
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